Machine for hulling green corn.



(No Modal.)

witnesses.

Patented Mar. 26, l90l.

J. RITTY.

MACHINE FOR l-IIILLING GREEN CORN.

(Application filed June 85, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet I.

1H: NORRIS PITERS co. wom'umo WASHINGTON. q. s.

Patented Mar. 26,190l. J. RITTY. MACHINE FOB HULLING GREEN CORN. A limion filed June 25, 1000.; (lip um 4 Shots-Shani 2.

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1n: MORR}! PETERS cnv, WOTO-LIYMQ. wuwmon. n. c.

No. 670,687. Patented Mar. 26, I911".

J. RITTY. MACHINE FOB HULLING. GREEN CORN.

(Application filed June 25, 1900.]

4 Shasta-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

40 itn eaa ea.

No. 670,687. Patented Mar. 26, l90l.

J. RITTY.

MACHINE FOB HULLING GREEN CORN.

(Application filed June 25, 1900.) (No- Model.)

4 ShaetaSheet 4.

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f UNITED STATES JOHN RITTY, or DAYTON, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR HULLING GREEN CORN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 670,687, dated March 26, 1901. Application filed June 25,1900. SerialNo- 21,477. No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN RITTY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Hulling Green Corn, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of machines for hnlling green corn of which my prior patents, No. 395,997, dated January 8,

1889, and No. 464,764, dated December 8 ,1891,

are examples, and in which the. object is to provide a machine for hulling green corn on the ear in such manner that the entire hulls of the grain are left upon the cob and the meats are pressed or extracted therefrom for culinary or canning purposes.

The machine of my present invention, as distinguished from those of my patents referred to, is a power-driven machine intended especially for use in hotels or canning factories; and the invention consists in novel constructions and combinations of the parts for greatly increasing the efficiency and capacity of the machine, all as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and the invention distinctly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a plan view of a corn-hulling ma chine embodying my invention. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a side elevation of the machine looking upward from the bottom of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, Sheet 3, is an enlarged end elevation looking to the right on the dotted line y y of Fig. 1, with the sprocket-chain removed. Fig. 4, Sheet 3, is a corresponding view on the dotted line 09 cc of Fig. 1. Fig. 5, Sheet 3, is an end elevation looking from the right of Fig. 1 of a pairof feed rollers and theirassociated parts and the yielding tension mechanism for the same. Fig. 6, Sheet 4, isa rearelevation of the tension-regulating mechanism employed for both the pressing-roll arms and the rasping or slitting arms. Fig. 7, Sheet 4, is an enlarged detail view of one of the pressingrolls. Fig. 8, Sheet 4, is an enlarged elevation of one of the guide and feeding rolls.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.

Upon any suitable base A, Figs. 1 and 2, are mounted at the ends thereof and in line with each other two uprights B, havingjournaled in their upper ends a horizontal shaft 1 C, carrying at one end a fast pulley D andal loose pulley E for the drivingbelt, which communicates rotation to the shaft O. Likewise secured to the base A, between the up- 60.

rights B, are three more uprights F, G, and H l H, the last two of which are seen inside elevation in Figs. 3 and 4. These uprights G and H terminate at one side in annular rings l I J, whose centers form a horizontal line parallel with the axis of the shaft 0, and toeach of these rings is rotatably attached aflanged; 1 drum K, having sprocket-teeth a surround- C ing its periphery, as seen in Fig. 2, which teeth lie between the flanges of thedrum. The flanges of these drums adjacent to therijngs I J have V-shaped peripheries which are con-f 1 fined, though free to turn in a guide trough L, secured by lugs b to the rings, and which i support the bottom and sides of theflange, and in a top bracket-lug c, likewise secured to the rings and having aV-shaped groovein its under side embracing the top edge of the. flange in such manner that the drnmis thus held to each ring, is concentric therewith, and is free to rotate. The rotation isimpartedlto the drums K by means of sprocket'wheels L, fast on theshaft 0, Figs. 1 and 4, and sprocketchains M,connecting said sprocket-wheels and the teeth at on the drums A. The drums K are both annular rings and have journaled through them near their inner peripheries three equidistant spindles (1, Figs. 3 and 4, 1 upon which on the feeding-in or forwardside of the drums are made fast three curved arms e, which extend toward the center of the drums. The armseof the drum,secured to the ring I,Fig.4,carry upon theirinnereuds plates f, through which are inserted rasping-teeth g, which slightly project from theinner sides thereof, as seen in Fig. 4. Stop-lugs h projeot from the pivoted ends of the arm 6 and bear against stationary pinsi, projecting from the adjacent flange of the drum to hold the arms from inward movement beyond the point ICO indicated in Fig. 4. The arms 6, secured to the other drum which is attached to the ring J, Fig. 3, are similarly provided with stoplugs h, engaging pins 2' on the flange of the drum to restrict the inward movement of said l frusto-conoidal wheels m with staggered'cirarms. M These latterarms have at their inner ends socket-pieces incline'd toward theaxis .ofthe drum and at an angle toa plane at right angles to said axis, as seen in FigsJl, 2,, and 3. In these socketsjare journale'd spindles,which carry on their inner ends pres- .ing-rollers 70, whose peripheries are rounded, as seen inFig. 7. On theopposite sides of the drums K, as seen in Fig. 6,.ther'e is'attached to each a ring N, which fits over an annular boss Z on that side of thedrum and 1 is held in place by screws m, passing through segmental slots 91 in the ring N- Secured to the, opposite ends of the spindles d and lying upon the rings N' are crank-arms 0, to the outer ends of which are pi voted stems p;whose outerends pass through guide-lugs g on the rings N and between which lugs and thearms are springs r, coiled around the pins p. Now by loosening the screws m and turning the rings N, by means of a spanner, (shown by dotted lines at s,- Fig.-6,) the springs r can be putunder the desired tension to hold the arms a inward with thenecessary resistance tov do the work of hulling' the ears of corn properly. When-the springs-r are thus adjusted, the screws m are tightened up to secure the ring N fast to the drumlK; It will thus be seen that the two drums K, with their supporting, mechanism, the arms 'e,'carried thereby, and the tension mechanism for said arms, areexact counterparts,'- with the only difference that the setof arms eon the ring I carry the rasping or slitting teeth g, while the other set of armse on the ring J carry the pressing-rollers k, and also that both drums are rotated in the same direction and in unison by the sprocket-wheels L on the shaft 0-, and these mechanisms constitute the means by which the hulls on the ears of corn, which are'passed successively between the raspingteeth and thence between the pressing-rolls, are first slit at their tops and spirally aroundthe ear and then have the meats pressed out of'them and dropped into any suit-able receptacle, the ears of corn passing on through and out of the machine without rotation and with the emptied hulls adhering to them when they are finally discharged-from the rear end of the machine.

I will now proceed to describe the feeding mechanism for the ears of corn, reference being had to Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 8. Hung to bracket-arms O, projecting from the uprights F, G, and H, which bracket-arms straddle the shaft 0, as seen in Fig. 3, are inwardly-projecting bearing-arms P, Fig. 5, in which are journaled spindles Q, having fast on their outer ends worm wheels R, meshing with Worms S, fast on the shaft O, the wheels R of each pair'engaging opposite sides of their respective worms, as seen in Figs. 2, 3, and. 5. The inner ends of the spindles Q have fast upon them feeding wheels, Figs. 5 and 8, composed of a sleeve Z, having thereon two cular depressions 'n in their periphery, and the conoidal surfaces of these wheels are inclined toward each'othe z' Between them 011 the spindle is a sprocket-wheel 0. Each of the pairs of arms P is similarly equipped with feeding-wheels and driving mechanism, and the arms hung to the plate F have inward bracket extensions 1), upon which an additional pair of feed-wheels m arejou rnaled,and these are connected by a" sprocket-chain m with their adjacent wheels m, as seen in Fig. 1. Each of the pairs of arms P, as seen in Fig. 5,'is connected by pivoted links a with a pivoted disk b, so that when one is moved upward the 'other is moved downward, and vice versa, and their movement toward each other is limited by stops 0, attached in any suitable manner to any stationay part of the framework, in'this instance to the inner sides of guide-straps d, which straddle the arms. To hold the arms P yieldingly pressed toward each other, I provide rods 6, pivoted to the arms. P, and whose outerends, which are threaded, pass through perforations in lugs f, projecting from the frame. Coiled springs g'are secured around the rods 8' between the lugs f and the arms P, and nuts h are screwed upon the outer threaded ends of the rods e to regulate the tension of the springs g. In this manner the corn-feeding wheels are yieldinglyheld toward each other and are free to be moved away from each other, though always under spring tension when so moved, so as to accommodate the ears of corn both at all points where their diameters differ and when ears of varying size are passed through the machine, as will be readily understood, and to facilitate the continuous and steady feeding in of the ears of corn Iprovide a feedtrough T, Figs. 1 and 2, of a width just sut': ficient to'hold a single row of ears'of corn in alinement andwhose outer end is supported by an upright U and whose inner end is pivoted', as at 1;, to a lug j on the lower one or" the first pair of arms P. V is passed around a sprocket-wheel W, journaled in the outer end of the trough, and around the sprocket-wheel 0' on the sleeve of the lowermost feed wheel last mentioned, said chain running on its upper-side in the bottom of the trough and thence passing around under the trough, as seen in Fig. 2.

The operation of the machine above described is as follows: The green corn, previously steamed so as to solidify its meats and juices, is placed, point end.foremost, in the trough, whence the ears are continuously fed between the feed-wheels m which, owing to the depressions n, grip them so as to hold them from turning, and the ears are passed first between the rasp-teeth g,which tear open or slit the tops of the kernels, and thence between the pressing rollers 70, which press out the meats and any unsolidified juices, and finally deliver the cobs, with nothing left on them but the empty hulls, at the tail end of The meats and juices are,

the machine. caught in any convenient receptacle orare carried off by any suitable conveyer.

It is to be observed that while the ears of corn are passed through the machine without turning both the rasping-teeth gand the pressing-rollers '70 are continuously rotated around the ears as the latter are fed forward in order to slit the tops of the kernels properly and to thoroughly press out the meats and juices, the forward movement of the ears through these rotating devices causing the latter to act in spiral paths and the inclination of the rollers to the ears being largely conducive to the thorough stripping of the meats from the cobs. It is also to be observed that the feeding-wheels are so spaced as to hold the ears firmly and prevent their turning at all points during their passage through the machine.

While I prefer to use pressing-rollers k, it would be no departure from my invention to employ in their place pressing-plates secured to the arms a without rotationsuch, for instance, as are shown in my Patent No. 395,997, above referred to.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim,

1. In a machine for hulling green corn, the combination with mechanism for feeding the ears of corn through the machine and for holding the ears from turning while being thus fed ,of a rotating rasping device through which the ears are first passed to slit the hulls at the ends or tops of the kernels, and a rotating pressing device through which the ears. are subsequently passed to express the meats and juices from the hulls.

2. In a machine for hulling green corn, the combinationwith rotating feeding-Wheels for passing the ears of corn through the machine and for holding the ears from turning, of a rotating carrier provided with yieldinglymounted rasping devices between which the ears are first passed to slit the hulls at the ends or tops of the kernels, and a rotating carrier provided with yieldinglymounted pressing devices which subsequently act upon the slitted kernels to express the meats and juices from the hulls thereof.

3. In a machine for hulling green corn,'the combination with rotating feeding-wheels for passing the ears of corn through the machine and for holding the ears from turning, of a rotating carrier through which the ears are first fed and which is provided with yieldingly-mounted rasping devices for slitting the hulls at the ends or tops of the kernels, and

a rotating carrier provided with yieldingly-' mounted pressure-rollers through which the ears are subsequently passed to express the meats'and juices from the slitted hulls.

4. In a machine for hulling green corn, the combination with mechanism for feeding the ears of corn through the machine and for holdgle power-driven shaft connected toland ser v ing to operate all of the said mechanisms.

5. In a machine for hulling greenc'orngt e combination of rotating feeding-wheelsfifon passing the ears of cornthroughtheimachine and for being fed, of-a rotating carrier provided with the ears are first passed to slitthe hulls at the ends or tops of the kernels, a rotatingcarrier provided with yieldingfpressing mechanis'inl through which the earsare subsequently passed to express the meats and juicesfroin 1 i the said hulls, and a single power-driven shaft connected toand serving to operate saidfeed:

ing-wheels and said carriers.

6. In a machine for hulling passing the ears of corn through the machine and for holding the ears from turning, while being fed, of a rotating carrier provided with! devicesthrough 9 yieldingly-mounted rasping which the ears are first passed to slit the hulls:

at the tops or ends of the kernels, arotating a carrier provided with yieldingly-mounted pressure-rollers through which the ears are subsequently passed to express the meats and juices from the slitted hulls, and a single]:

power-driven shaft connected to and serving to operate the said feeding-wheels and said 1 carriers.

7. In a machine for hulling green corn, the combination of a main frame,

a power-driven heliulls a r 7 pressing mechanism throughwliichtheears are subsequently passed to express theineats and juices from the slilted hulls, andasina holding the ears fromwurniug while green corn the 0 combination with rotating feeding-wh l f i l shaft journaled thereon, sprocket-wheels and Worms fast to said power-shaft, drums or carriers having sprocket-wheels on their periphcries and rotatably mounted on rings forming part of the said main frame, drive-chains con-Y necting the said drums or carriers with the sprocketwheels on the said power-shaft, spring-pressed arms pivoted to one of said drums or carriers and provided with rasping teeth or knives for slitting the hulls at the ends or tops of the kernels of the ears of corn, spring-pressed arms pivoted to the other of said drums or carriers and provided with pressing-rollers for expressing the meats and juices from the slitted hulls, pivoted arms hung to the main frame, each of said arms having fast thereon at one end a worm-wheel engaging a worm on the power-shaft, and each of said arms beingprovided at its other end With a feeding-wheel, the feeding-wheels serving to grasp and pass through the machine the ears of corn, and spring-tension mechanism for the said last-named arms to enable the feeding-wheels to yieldingly grasp the ears of corn to be fed through the machine.

8. In a machine for hulling green corn, the

8 yielding rasping mechanismfthrough which? 1 first act upon the ears of cornto slit the hulls t the ends or tops of the'kernelgand retaining pressing devices which subsequentlyact upon the slitted kernels to express the meats and juices from the hulls thereof.

1 JOHN RITTY;

combination with a feeding-trough provided with an endless carrier, of rotating feedingwheels for. .passing through the machine the ears of vcorn presented thereto by the said endless carrier, rotating rasping devices which Witnesses: N

GEORGE S. BAILY,

EDWARD PECK. 

